Non-Binary Trauma Patients: Delineating a Vulnerable, At-Risk Population.

Area of Science:

• Trauma research
• Health disparities
• Non-binary health

Background:

• A growing non-binary population may experience different trauma risks.
• Previous national-level data on physical trauma in non-binary individuals is lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare demographics, injury characteristics, and outcomes of non-binary trauma patients with male and female patients.
• To identify differences to inform care and future research for non-binary trauma patients.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of patients aged 16 years and older from the National Trauma Data Bank (2021-2022).
• Comparison of demographic, injury, and outcome data between non-binary, male, and female trauma patients.

Main Results:

• Non-binary patients (283) were younger and less likely to be White than male or female patients.
• Despite lower Injury Severity Scores, non-binary patients had higher mortality rates (5%) than females (3%).
• Non-binary and male patients had comparable mortality rates, higher than females.

Conclusions:

• Non-binary trauma patients are a vulnerable population, experiencing worse outcomes than expected based on injury severity.
• Disparities in trauma outcomes for non-binary patients are linked to both gender and race/ethnicity.
• Further research is crucial to understand and improve trauma care delivery for non-binary individuals.